1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a light scanning unit and an image forming apparatus employing the same, and more particularly, to a light scanning unit including a bow control apparatus to correct a bow of a scanning line of a light beam that is emitted from a light source and an image forming apparatus employing the light scanning unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light scanning units scan a laser beam onto a photoconductor to form an electrostatic latent image in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a laser printer. The light scanning units include a light deflector that deflects a light beam emitted from a light source and scans the same onto a photoconductor, and an imaging optical system that is between the light deflector and the photoconductor and forms the deflected light beam as an image on the photoconductor.
In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, when a light scanning unit scans a light beam onto a photoconductor such as a photosensitive drum, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductor by main scanning by the light scanning unit and sub-scanning by movement of the photoconductor. The electrostatic latent image is developed to form a developed image by using a development agent such as a toner, and the developed image is transferred onto a printing medium.
In the process in which an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductor, a scanning line is not irradiated straight due to assembly deviation and flatness of optical components such as the imaging optical system and the like, an image bow having a convex shape and a concave shape is generated, and thus, image quality is deteriorated.